A woman who worked as a political attaché to the former CAQ MP for Groulx, Claude Surprenant, is accused of fraud, use of forgery and perjury following an investigation by the Permanent Anti-Corruption Unit (UPAC).
Julie Nadeau was charged last Thursday. According to the police, “Mme Nadeau, who was in charge of accounting for MP Claude Surprenant’s constituency office, diverted sums totaling more than $8,000 from the MP’s office bank account to his personal account “, in 2014 and 2015.
“Furthermore, the investigation showed that Mr.me Nadeau had presented falsified medical documents in order to benefit from an extended work stoppage, ”continues the UPAC in a press release.
Mme Nadeau had been hired as a political attaché in April 2014, but the deputy had fired her for serious misconduct in December 2016.me Nadeau then initiated proceedings for wrongful dismissal before the Administrative Labor Tribunal.
“During this trial, during his sworn testimony between 2018 and 2021, Mr.me Nadeau perjured herself on several occasions by claiming to have a bachelor’s degree in law, then a multidisciplinary bachelor’s degree and a certificate in law. After verification, M.me Nadeau does not hold any university degree,” says UPAC.
During the hearing before the Court, Mr.me Nadeau had presented a fake diploma from Laval University, full of spelling mistakes. When her deception was exposed, she claimed her ex-husband provided her with the degree and hung it on the wall in her office, “which made her think she really got it.”
In February 2022, the Tribunal found that the woman’s dismissal was justified.
“The complainant held an important position in the county office in that she managed the finances of the office with a great deal of autonomy. She was the one designated by the MNA to receive all financial information from the Assembly and she made commitments on his behalf to the latter to obtain services there as well as from citizens and suppliers,” said explained the administrative judge Karine Blouin in her judgment.
“In these circumstances, the fact for the complainant to appropriate undue sums, to lie to at least one supplier and to the deputy constitutes serious misconduct. The latter can no longer trust him and his immediate dismissal was justified, ”said the administrative judge.
It’s up to the political world to keep an eye out
From 2017, The Press revealed that the deputy had filed a complaint with the police for theft against his former political aide. Mme Nadeau had hit the headlines at the time, declaring that he had done partisan work for the CAQ when it was paid by the National Assembly.
Claude Surprenant was ejected from the CAQ caucus due to irregularities in his expenses as a deputy. He completed his term as an independent and did not stand for re-election. The Ethics Commissioner had criticized him several times over his expenses. The commissioner relied in particular on the testimony of Mr.me Nadeau, whom Mr. Surprenant’s lawyer described in an interview with Radio-Canada as a “compulsive liar”.
UPAC spokesperson Mathieu Galarneau took the opportunity on Monday to remind political actors that they must keep their eyes open to detect potential criminal acts in their midst. He recalled that the commissioner of the UPAC, Frédérick Gaudreau, had written directly to the elected officials on this subject.
“Political employees, civil servants and elected officials must be able to quickly recognize wrongdoings such as those perpetrated by Ms.me Nadeau. Commissioner Gaudreau also wrote to elected officials last November to invite them to hold a corruption awareness session with their teams,” Mr. Galarneau said.